Spabk-intensifier



H. JAMES.

SPARK INTENSIFIER.

APPLICATION r|Lno1uLY1a,19u.

Patented-May 13,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET r.

r E l. 141

als

HUGH Jmm @w MW I aucuns,

a0 v O 2 2 H. JAMES.

SPARK INTENSIFIER.

APPLICATION msn :uw la. 1911.

' Patented May13,1919.-

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

lNsuLfmoN HUIGH JHMES y nnen JAMES, or MONTROSE, ILLINoIs.

sunk-INTENSIFIEB.

Specification of Letters :Patent Patented May 13, 1919.

' Application ined .my 1s, 1917. seriai No. 131,316.

To all whomt may concern.'

Be it`known that HUGH JAMES, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Montrose, in the count of Eilngham and State of Illinois, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spark-Intensiiers, of

which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying draw- This inventionrelates to the ignition systems of internal combustion engines, and

particularly to means for intensifying the spark of such engines. v

The general object of this invention is to provide means for this purpose constructed on the principle on a condenser. y l

A-further object is to providea device of this .character havin ,great compactness,

high capacity, high e ciency, and mechani-` cal stren h.

A furt er object is to provide al condenser unit made of flexible material divided into a plurality of condenser sections, according to the number of cylinders on the engine, this construction ermitting the elements ofthe condenser to e readily assembled and also permitting the condenser unit to be very compactly formed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a condenser unit of flexible' material divided into a plurality of condenser sections according to the number of cylinders on the engine, in which each condenser section is completedin itself and has its own complete circuit, to thus provide for one of the sections being charged and discharged without disturbing the charge on any other section. Y

A/furtherobject in this connection is to provide 'a condenser of this character wherein the capacity of each section is practically the same as'the capacity ofany other section and whereinit is possible to determine the exact capacity of each section.

the following descri tion. l

My invention is i lustrated in the aecompanying drawings, wherein f' igure 1 is a vertical sectional view through 'a spark intensifier constructed in accordance with m invention;

Fig. 2 is a section Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the condenser -before it is wrapped around the central post;

Fig. 4 is a face view of the neer;

which the central rod 13 rests. Other objects will appear 1n the course of Fig. 5 ,is a perspective view of one of the ig. 6 is a diagrammatic view ofthe connections from the intensifier to the spark plug,l timer, coil, etc.

As illustrated in Fig.- 3, this condenser unit is made of flexible material and comprises a plurality of strips of dielectric designated 10, these strips having va length equal to the total length of the unit. Disposed between the strips of dielectric are a pluralit of flexible conductors designated y 11 and istinguished by the letters a, b and c.

h ese strips are arranged in sets, two sets of strips being shown, but it will be understood that there are to be' as many of these sets of strips a, b and c as there are cylinders of the engine for which the intensifier is designed. It will be seen that one set of conductors is spaced from the next adjacent set of conductors and it will also be noted that the dielectric strips 10 extend beyond the conductor strips at opposite ends. I have illustrated two sets of conductor strips as-if the device were intended for a two cylinder engine, but it is obvious that more sets of conductor strips may be used. Extending from each of the conductor strips are the conductive taps 12. The strips a and c of the conductive strips are electrically connected together.

` After being assembled as shown in Fig. 3, the condensing unit is wound around a nonconductive rod 13, -which is longitudinally slotted and when starting the winding, the unit is placed in this slot and the winding is made in one direction so as to double back to the unit as shown in Fig. 2, so that the entire unit maybe wound tightly on the rod 13. In Fig. 1, I show the containing case which is designated 14, and which is cylindrical in form. This containing case has a bottom 15 and a block of insulation 16 is disposed within this bottom and upon The containing case is flanged as at 17 and a cover 18 is provided of insulating material. This cover has a diameter equal to the diameter of the case across the flanges 17. Disposed upon these flanges 17 is the insulating ring 19, which is slotted at intervals for the reception of the angular terminals 20. Bolts 2Ol pass through the cover 18, through the ring 19 and t rough these angular terminals 20. The taps 12 connected to the outer pair of conducting strips 11 are electrically connected to these terminals 20 by moans of and connectors 23 to the containing case.

The containing case with the intensifying unit disposed therein is engaged by a clamp 27 having opposed semi-circular jaws closed by means of a bolt 28 and held by a bolt 29 upon an angular bracket 30, which may be attached to any desired portion of the motor. As illustrated in Fig. 5, each o f the taps 12 consists of a metallic strip whlch 1s longitudinally slotted as at 31. The reason for slotting the metallic strip is to enable 1t zto conform to the circular winding given to the unit.

The operation of this condenser.will be obvious, of course, to those who are skilled in the art and it will be obvious that as soon as the condenser is discharged by the closing of the circuit through the conductor by means of the usual commutator or timer that a very hot and intense spark will be produced at the spark plug and that between the periods of closlng the circuit through the spark plug, the charge for each spark will be built .up in the condenser 1n the usual manner. It will be seen that this device is very simple, that it may be very readily assembled and that it is very compact and that when the elements are all assembled, it is very conveniently attached to the engine.

When the condenser is used as a spark' intensifier, it is necessary that the capacity of each section ofthe condenser be practically the same and that it be possible to determine the exact capacity of each section,

This is, of course, possible where the condenser sections are not disposed'in overlapped relation to each other, but where the condenser is formed of flexible dielectric material having .positive and negative ele' ments disposed between the plies of dielectric and this iexible element is rolled upon itself, then itis not ordinarily possible for the capacity of any section to be the same as any other section, nor to determine the exact capacity of each section, unless there are an odd number of negative andl positive elements for each section, which is the case in theconstruction which I have illustrated, Where each section of the condenser consists of two positive elements and one negative element. Where an even number of elements is used, between iiexible strips of dielectric, and the strips of dielectric are rolled so that one section is overlapped upon an- 1,soa,325-

other section, the elements will be alternately positive and negative and, therefore, a condenser will be formed between the positive element of one section and the outermost negative element of the next adjacent section, and the capacity of this intermediate, and, as it may be termed, accidental condenser, depends on the area of the negative and positive elements and the area of overlap and this intermediate or accidental condenser will have a capacity much greater therefore than the same section would have if laid fiat.

In a condenser formed in accordance with my invention, there is an odd number of conductive strips so that two positive elements are disposed adjacent each other when the condenser is wound and not alternate positive and negative strips, and thus when the unit is wound, each section is of the same capacity and has the same capacity that it had before winding. It is therefore very important that each section of the condenser shall be formed of an uneven number of conducting-strips or layers.

I do not wish to be limited to any articular substance to form the dielectric layers provided this substance is flexible so that it may be wrapped in the manner stated,

nor do I wish to be limited to the exact manner ofconnecting the conductive strips or layers to the spark plug and source of current.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is A 1. A condenser of the character described formed ofa plurality of layers of iexible dielectric, and a plurality of conductive layers disposed alternately to the dielectric layers, each conductive layer being composed of a plurality of electrically conductive strips longitudinally spaced from each other in serial order, there being the same. number of conductive strips in each layer, the layers being disposed in superposed relation around and concentric to a. common axis, and-the conductive strips of the lseveral conductive layers holding the same relative positions in their respective layers being disposed in more or les overlapped relation, each negative conductive strip being disposed between the relatively outer and` inner positive conducting strips of the next adjacent conductive layers.

2; A condenser comprising a casing having a, centrally disposed longitudinally slotted member of non-conductive material and having a cover, a plurality of Vstrips of flexible dielectric, a plurality of strips of 00nductive material disposed between and Separated by the dielectric strips, the combined dielectric and conductive strips being dispose'd through the slot of the central member and then wrapped in the same direction 'around said central member, means for grounding certain of said conductive strips to the Wa l of the casing, and electrical oonnections leading through the-cover to certain other of said conductive strips.-

3. 'A condenser comprising an outer metal.- lic container, a non-conductive cover therefor, a central non-conductive longitudinally slotted meinbercarried 'by the cover, a plurality of flexible dielectric strips, a plurality of sets of conductive strips disposed between and separated by said dielectric strips, one set of conductive strips being spaced from the next adjacentxset of conductive strips, and each set of conductive strips being less in Width than the Width of the dielectric strips, the combined conductive and dielectric strips being passed through the slot of the central member and the stripsbeing Wrapped tightly around said central member in the same direction and being held from expansion, taps leading from 4the outermost conductive strips o-each set of conductive strips and lbeing electrically grounded on the Wall of the container, and taps leading from the middle conductive strip of each set and extending out through the cover of the container.

4. A condenser of the character described comprising a metallic container having a flange at its upper end, a non-conductive ring disposed upon said flange, a non-conductive cover resting upon said ring and having connectors adapted to be en aged with conductors leading to a spark p ug, a longitudinally slotted centrally disposed member Within the container, a plurality of strips of flexible dielectric, a plurality of sets of strips of flexible conductive material disposed between and separated by dielectric strips, the sets being spaced from each other and being less in Width than the .Width of the dielectric strips, said combined dielectric and conductive strips being passed through the slot in said central mem-ber and Wrapped around said central member in the same direction, means for holding the strips in said wrapped position, longitudinally slotted taps connected to the conductive members, conductors connecting the taps for the outer conductive members of each set and grounded upon the Wall of the container, the taps connected to the middle conductive strip of eac-h set being electrically engaged each with one of said connectors, and a clamp bracket upon which the container is mounted.

5. A condenser formed of a plurality of layers of flexible dielectric and an uneven number of intermediate conductive layers, each conductive layer being composed of a pluralit of conductive strips longitudinally spaced rom each other, there being the same number' of conductive Strips in each layer arranged in serial order, the strips of all of the conductive layers each having the same relative position forming a condensing unit when the positive and negative strips of each unit are grounded and each unit thus forming a complete condenser in itself independent of any other unit, the layers of dielectric and conductive material |being rolled around a common axis in a direction parallel to the serial succession of the conductive strips to form a substantially cylindrical body having the conductive strips of any one layer disposed in more or less overlapping relation to those conductive strips having the same relative position in the adjacent layers.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HUGH JAMES.

`Witnesses Guo. J AMES, CLARENCE HANDKE. 

